While the debate over Mac versus PC will last for eternity, one of the elements that many “diehard” PC users have thrown at Apple fanboys is the ability to really tweak their experience, through application add-ons and plugins.

Mac users who use Firefox have had a little taste of this with Greasemonkey, a Firefox add-on that allows support for on the fly changes to websites. If you haven’t heard of Greasemonkey, this is a must read for you and if your browser of choice isn’t Firefox, we’ll show you how to install its equivalent, GreaseKit with Safari.

What Is Greasemonkey?

Greasemonkey is an add-on for browsers that allow users to install “scripts” that are fine tuned to affect how different websites function. For example, if you’re a person who uses MySpace and really hates how the login page is full of ads, you can install a script that adjusts the display of the page when it loads and gives you a cleaner experience.

Cleaning up MySpace is just the beginning; there are scripts for just about everything. If you’re not a fan of the default Gmail web interface, you can use a script that declutters it.

But it’s not just about changing the look and feel of a website; there are scripts that remove content like ads and scripts that add functionality, like a script that lets you add notes to entries in your Netflix queue.

Installing GreaseKit in Safari

While Greasemonkey is an easy add-on if you use Firefox, you can also use similar add-ons in Safari. For Safari users, begin by downloading SIMBL and install it. Then download GreaseKit and install the bundle file inside to ~/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins. If this folder doesn’t exist, just add it before dropping the file inside.

Next, relaunch Safari and, provided things worked well, you’ll see a new menu entry for GreaseKit. Now go find some scripts (see below) and click “Install This Script” to copy it into GreaseKit. You’ll see the JavaScript flash on screen and eventually it should be added to your GreaseKit menu.

Getting Scripts

There are a variety of places to find the scripts that integrate with Greasemonkey or GreaseKit. Userscripts.org is perhaps the largest of these and an excellent place to start. I urge caution though as these scripts can become dated when the websites they affect are updated. Also, because you’re not running the scripts in Greasemonkey on Firefox for Windows (where they are usually tested), the add-ons may not function exactly as described. This is likely to happen in Safari if the script is overly complex, requiring additional interfaces to manage it.

Here are the scripts I’ve discussed in this article:

• Netflix Notes
• MySpace Clean Redesigned Login and Logout
• Simplify Gmail

You also might enjoy the Unfriend Finder for Facebook that lets you know when (and who) has unfriended you. This particular script doesn’t work well in Safari, so I recommend using it in Firefox.

Have you found any good scripts? Feel free to use the comments below and let us know what you think.

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There’s little chance of that happening, but a new Facebook app could help make the App Store more navigable, and do so with a little help from your friends. Mplayit is a new service being offered on Facebook that aims to bring some sense to the jungle that is the 100,000-strong App Store using a more intelligent browsing system based on recommendations and demos.

The idea is that there’s no one better to recommend iPhone apps you’d like than your friends. Using Mplayit, friends can make recommendations via the app which will appear on their profile page and in the news feed. That way, you’ll have a trustworthy source when you’re shopping for new software for your device.

By far the most useful aspect of Mplayit during my brief use of it was the app recommendations and shared apps. The rest, including popularity, search and categories, is already available to users via the App Store itself.

I’m not exactly sure how apps get onto the recommended list, since I would assume that they would be the ones which are the most recommended, but then what’s to differentiate them from the shared app? Whatever the methodology behind their selection, the fact remains that they are good picks, and well-deserving of attention. The list provides a good variety, too, covering apps with a range of functions instead of just presenting, say, all the top Twitter apps.

The best part of Mplayit, from the standpoint of people who need to see to believe, is that most apps come complete with videos and images previewing the functionality of the software running on an actual iPhone, and a full text description, too. That’s what puts Mplayit ahead of other iPhone app discovery sites like AppShopper.com or 148apps. Of course, each app also includes buy links that redirect you to the App Store, and a link through which you can add the program to your collection, which helps Mplayit track app popularity and recommendation information.

Many people are reluctant to use Facebook apps because of privacy concerns and fears of spamming the news feeds of friends, but after trying out the service for a little while, I haven’t found any cause for concern with Mplayit. The best part is that you can still use most aspects of the app without granting it access to your profile information.

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Until very recently, Tor was always something I heard about online but never used. I never considered myself enough of a “hardcore” geek to really pursue it, but it turned out to be much simpler to use that I thought. So for those of you that were like me consider this a crash course in Tor for the Mac.

What is Tor?

Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.

As its icon implies, Tor acts like an onion in the way that your online traffic is protected. If someone wanted to track your online activities while running Tor they would see only the layers and layers of relays run by volunteers worldwide. Due to the large number of relays, the original source of the traffic (you) is virtually invisible.

Although people are quick to associate Tor with illegal online activity, many other people and organizations use Tor for legitimate, and often life-saving, activities. For example, journalists in certain countries where honest reporting is punishable by prison or death can use Tor to publish their stories anonymously. According to torproject.org:

A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering, and one of its teams used Tor while deployed in the Middle East recently. Law enforcement uses Tor for visiting or surveilling web sites without leaving government IP addresses in their web logs, and for security during sting operations.

Hopefully you can begin to see the advantages of having a service like Tor and the hundreds of people who volunteer their computers for relays to help protect the privacy of the rest of us. Visit the overview page of torproject.org for a great set of illustrations created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on how Tor works.

A Brief Warning

Having educated myself over the past few weeks on how Tor works, I should take a moment to tell you that Tor is not magic. Once you drag Tor into your Applications folder you are not suddenly protected from the world. You will need to establish some new habits and tweak your software (Firefox) in order for Tor to work correctly. Please read these warnings before you start using Tor to ensure that you have everything configured correctly. The last thing I want to see is for one of our TAB readers write a blog post critical of their government and find themselves in jail because they thought their Internet traffic was anonymous.

That being said, setting Tor up correctly is not that difficult. Is my mom going to be able to use Tor? Probably not. But my wife, who uses our Macs only for iPhoto, email and Facebook, would be able to set up and use Tor without a problem. This means if you’re savvy enough to have found this post, you have enough skills to run Tor. So, let’s talk about how to get started.

Getting Started

Visit the download page and install the latest stable version of the Tor bundle. The bundle includes Tor, Vidalia (GUI for Tor), Torbutton (Firefox extension), and Privoxy (filtering web proxy) — all pre-configured to work together.

This neat little package is why Tor is simple to use. If you had to download and install each of these pieces individually, this post would be 10x as long.

The next step is to configure your applications to work with Tor. As I mentioned above, it’s not enough to install the Tor package — you’ll have to spend an extra 5 minutes getting your applications ready. For most of you, the main application you’ll be using with Tor is your browser. Installing the Tor bundle will also install a Firefox plugin that will allow you to easily turn on/off Tor with the click of your mouse. That’s all there is to it.

You can also run other applications with Tor such as your IM client — anything that supports HTTP proxies. Simply change your proxy settings to point to localhost port 8118 and Privoxy (in your bundle) will do the rest.

Once you’ve configured your applications, visit check.torproject.org to see if Tor is installed and working properly. If for some reason it’s not working, start by making sure that Vidalia is running and that you have clicked the “Tor Disabled” button in the lower-right corner of Firefox to enable Torbutton. If Tor is still not working, then your most likely culprit is a firewall. See this FAQ for firewall configuration information and this FAQ for general tips for getting Tor to work.

If you’ve received a clean bill of health from check.torproject.org then you’re free to browse anonymously. See? That wasn’t too painful was it? However, since the network depends on volunteers to make the service stronger and more secure I recommend reading the Relay Configuration Guide and making the necessary changes to allow others to use a portion of your bandwidth to stay anonymous.

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AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield for computers installs a client on your desktop or notebook that sets up a virtual private network, helping to ensure that you stay anonymous and secure while browsing. Hotspot Shield for iPhone employs the same concept, minus the client, allowing you to browse securely from your mobile device.

I’ve used Hotspot Shield with my MacBook before, and found little cause for complaint. There are some hiccups when streaming large media, and an ad is displayed at the top of your window, though Hotspot Shield itself is free.

Hotspot Shield for iPhone is also a free service, although it does require registering an account with AnchorFree. Registering is incredibly painless, however, you just click a button and receive your account name and password.

You also have to change your VPN settings on the iPhone. Make sure your Wi-Fi is off, and go to Settings > General > Network > VPN, and then click Add VPN Configuration. At this screen, you’ll have to enter the following information:

• Select the L2TP tab/pane (selected by default)
• Description: HotspotShield
• Server: 64.55.144.10
• Account: <your account name>
• RSA SecurID: OFF
• Password: <your password>
• Secret: password
• Send all traffic: ON

Save settings and turn Wi-Fi back on. According to AnchorFree, you may have to power cycle your device to get the settings to take effect if you experience connection errors.

Once set up, you will be shielded from prying eyes by a VPN connection between your device and the 3G or wireless network to which you are connected. AnchorFree claims that you are 100% secure behind Hotspot Shield, ensuring that no hackers can gain access to your emails, credit card or banking information, sensitive documents, or whatever else you may have stored on your device.

Hotspot Shield is clearly aimed at business users, but anyone who doesn’t relish the thought of strangers coveting their personal information will enjoy the peace of mind it brings.

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